Before You Go
by The Fairie Queen
Summary: It wasn't the sort of thing for Kanda to ask, but he didn't know when he would see Alma again. Exorcist AU.


**A/N:** Response to the Tumblr prompt, "Kiss me." Somewhat heading toward NSFW territory, but nothing explicit. XD

 ** _Before You Go_**

Kanda was tired – _really_ tired.

And really grouchy.

Not that anyone could blame him – he had just returned to headquarters from a mission in northern Finland. The mission hadn't been particularly long, and only taken a few weeks. However, it had been _cold_. Winter was bad enough as it was, but winter all the way up in northern Finland was _highly_ unpleasant. Bearable, but unpleasant.

Oh well. At the very least, Kanda didn't have to worry about frostbite. His regenerative abilities as a second exorcist usually prevented such troublesome complications.

Still, Kanda had actually been (dare he say it) _relieved_ to get back to headquarters. He never expected peace to last, but at least with being at headquarters there was some kind of routine to help maintain a sense of stability. At headquarters, Kanda knew when to go to bed, when to wake up, when to train, when to get his meals. The only discord came with the akuma (and the presence of the annoying beansprout and the rabbit, but Kanda preferred not to waste his time thinking about those two). That, Kanda could handle.

Except Kanda wasn't getting any of this, because as soon as he had returned to headquarters Komui had another mission for Kanda ready to go.

Kanda had been prepared to argue with Komui on this. It wasn't as though Kanda were the only exorcist available, and as far as he was concerned he had risked his life more than enough times to deserve _some_ kind of break. However, Komui assured Kanda that he was the most "suitable" exorcist for the job – one that would take Kanda southeast to Bulgaria. With _Lavi_.

Well, at least it wasn't somewhere too bitingly cold and it wasn't with the beansprout.

Kanda had only had a few hours to take some time for himself, which really translated to Kanda focusing on getting prepared for his next trip. He never took anything with him save for his uniform and innocence, along with a few necessities like currency. So, the process didn't actually take all that long.

Inevitably, Kanda's mind wandered to Alma. The other second exorcist was the only other person Kanda really cared to spend time with, but as far as Kanda knew Alma was on another mission – somewhere in the northern Spain, from what he recalled.

Kanda frowned to himself. He probably wouldn't see Alma for a few more weeks now.

 _'Damn Komui,'_ Kanda silently cursed, checking the time briefly. He still had just under an hour before he had to leave, and figured he could maybe get a few minutes of meditation in if anything. Kanda would need to have a clear head and be able to focus on this mission, especially when he was going on one so quickly after just completing another.

Starting his way down to the training room, Kanda began to go over the details of the new mission in his head. Komui had briefed him alone, since Lavi had been briefed on the case just before Kanda returned. This way Kanda had an idea of what to expect-

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Kanda's wrist and yanked him out of the hall. Kanda's eyes widened, before they narrowed and he was about to pull out Mugen on instinct. However, there was only _one_ person Kanda knew of who had enough strength (and was idiotic enough) to physically take on Kanda.

After being pulled into a room (a _storage_ space, of all things), Kanda was brought face-to-face with his assailant. "Alma-?" Kanda hissed, partly aggravated by being pulled into some musty little room and partly pleased to see Alma of people. He felt a bit more aggravated though. "What are you _doing_ -"

"Are you really leaving again?" Alma interrupted quickly. "I heard Lavi talking to Allen, and he said you two were going on a mission to Bulgaria."

Kanda scowled slightly, and sighed. "Yeah. Komui sure didn't care to give me a break after my last one…"

Alma's face seemed to fall at the confirmation of Kanda's departure. "But you just got _back_ ," He commented in dismay.

The disappointment in Alma's tone made Kanda want to wince. He noticed that Alma hadn't let go of his wrist, either, and Kanda found himself talking Alma's hands, rubbing his fingers over them gently. "It can't be helped. Anyways, when did you get back? I thought you were still in Spain."

"I got back this morning," Alma answered, glancing down at their hands. He then leaned his head forward against Kanda's. "Yuu, I was hoping to spend more time with you before either of us had to leave again…"

"I know," Kanda spoke quietly.

In a way, seeing Alma now – just less than an hour before Kanda had to go again – was harder than not seeing Alma at all. If Kanda had left before Alma returned, he wouldn't have had to deal with those pleading, puppy-like eyes that Alma had or the pitiful desire in his voice. If Kanda had left first, he wouldn't have had to feel the annoying ache of desire in his own chest to _stay_ with Alma.

There was a moment that passed between the two where neither Kanda nor Alma spoke. The two exorcists just held each other's hands as they remained there, alone in that storage space hidden away from the rest of the world. Selfishly, Kanda wished that he and Alma could stay hidden away. It didn't matter how many times Kanda tried to convince himself that Alma could get annoying or clingy – things just seemed _easier_ with Alma around. Even breathing seemed easier.

Damn, Kanda _really_ didn't want to go on this mission.

Lightly, Kanda nudged his forehead against Alma's. "Kiss me," Kanda whispered, his words startlingly soft yet imploring.

Alma's brightly-colored eyes flickered up to meet Kanda's before they glanced downward again. A smile tugged at his lips. "I thought you didn't like doing that sort of thing right before leaving. You always say it's like a tease."

"I changed my mind."

Alma laughed quietly – a sweet sound, and one that made Kanda's heart tender. "Really? But you're always so stubborn," He spoke, his words carrying a small melody of playfulness. Alma brushed his nose against Kanda's teasingly.

Kanda scoffed subtly at the gesture. "Fine. I take it back. You _are_ a tease."

The tiny smile remained on Alma's lips, as he was clearly unfazed by Kanda's words. "I might be," Alma commented. He then brushed his lips against Kanda's jaw, as his mouth just barely grazed Kanda's skin. "How long until you leave?" Alma then asked, his words an almost inaudible murmur.

Kanda fought the urge to shiver at Alma's touch, and answered. "Less than an hour…probably close to a just over a half hour now."

Alma moved his mouth close to Kanda's ear, and Kanda could feel Alma's lips on his lobe. "We can work with that," Alma spoke. His tongue flicked against Kanda's ear.

This time Kanda couldn't refrain from shuddering a little – his ears had always been a weak spot for him, and Alma was merciless in exploiting that. Kanda brought his hands to Alma's forehands, gripping them tightly. He pulled Alma close, turning his head so that eventually their noses were brushing against each other once more. "We're going to _have_ to make it work now," Kanda expressed, a hint of a smirk appearing as his eyes gleamed.

Another small laugh spilled from Alma's lips. "We always do," He commented, before pressing his lips against Kanda's.

* * *

Kanda had to rush to meet Lavi. He had just _barely_ been able to put himself together after being with Alma, and easily lost track of time. Kanda knew he should have been paying more attention to how much time was passing probably, but that had been difficult given how _preoccupied_ he and Alma had been.

God, leaving Alma had been annoyingly difficult. Kanda would have given anything to have stayed in that musty storage space.

Throwing his hair back up in a ponytail, Kanda made sure to walk briskly. With any luck, the rabbit would have been running late as well, so hopefully Kanda's tardiness would be unnoticeable.

They were leaving by boat in the canal underground, so Kanda had to descend a staircase to get there. As he rounded the corner, he saw Lavi and the finder that had been assigned to their mission already waiting by the boat.

Ugh, great. Of course the _one time_ Kanda was late, Lavi had to be on time.

Lavi noticed Kanda immediately, and looked at him curiously. He raised an eyebrow as Kanda came over to join them. "Since when do you get flushed?"

The question incensed Kanda, though he inwardly stiffened. Crap, was he still flushed looking? _'Damn it, Alma,'_ Kanda thought, though he kept a straight face. "It's called training. Maybe you should try it sometime."

Lavi's lips quirked upward. "Really?" He asked. "I didn't see you in the training room earlier."

Kanda sneered. "I was outside."

Lavi shrugged and hopped into the boat with the finder. Kanda sat down, sitting across from Lavi.

As the finder began to move the boat along, Lavi decided to speak up again. He leaned back, looking at Kanda; there seemed to be a gleam in his one visible eye. "Alma was looking for you earlier," Lavi pointed out. "I'm guessing he managed to find you before we left?"

Kanda exhaled through his nose, reminding himself that killing Lavi before a mission would _not_ be wise. "I don't see how it's any of your business," Kanda bit back, his tone just a _tad_ less harsh than before as his mind briefly returned how Alma had found him, pulling him aside – isolated, and with their bodies close…

Lavi chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes then."

Kanda ignored Lavi. Instead, he just tried to remember Alma, and the way Alma's lips had felt against his own.

* * *

 **A/N:** I have no shame. Kisses in storage spaces are a thing for me. Cliché? Yeah, but oh so, so good. XD (Honestly, I don't mind writing more explicitly - and who knows, I may do so in the future.)

Thanks for reading!


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